Past Events

2012

Eighth International Conference of the World Mediation Forum, Valencia, Spain, 18–21 October 2012

The theme of the Eighth International Conference of the World Mediation Forum is ‘Time for mediation: leadership and action for change’. Nothing is as certain as the need for change in today’s society. Spontaneous social movements and demands directed at the economic sector in Europe, Australia, Asia, America and Africa show the need to address that demand with leadership and timely actions, capable of promoting balanced relations in the exercise of power with social justice, anticipatory vision to manage change without violence. This scenario requires mediators to make visible the role of mediation and its potential to lead these changes in any context: political, educational, business, family and others. Now more than ever, global society demands empathic responses that are timely, effective and efficient. We need to make visible mediation, leadership and action.

Third International Congress on Mediation, Lisbon, Portugal, 18–20 October 2012

The Centre for Public Administration and Public Policies of the School of Social and Political Sciences, Technical University of Lisbon, is organising the Third International Congress on Mediation, dedicated to Mediation and Arbitration, which will occur in Lisbon, 18 to 20 October 2012.

Considering the recent legislation on Volunteer Arbitration, approved by the Law no. 63/2011, 14 December, mediation and arbitration are increasingly relevant both in the national context but also internationally. The third International Congress on Mediation will encourage analysis of both mediation and arbitration as important tools and how the two practices can develop together. The congress will have plenary sessions, invited speakers and practical workshops.

The conference is jointly organised by the Singapore Judiciary, the Law Society of Singapore, the Singapore Mediation Centre, the Singapore Academy of Law and the Community Mediation Centre of the Ministry of Law.

In recent years Alternative Dispute Resolution (‘ADR’) processes have been used to resolve personal and business conflicts in Singapore and globally. This has spawned new initiatives and techniques such as collaborative law, which enables parties to cooperate to achieve a consensual settlement that best meets the specific needs of all affected parties, by working with their lawyers and other professionals without resorting to litigation.

The highlights of the conference will include a plenary session by Michael Leathes, Chairman of the International Mediation Institute, on the future of ADR and a public lecture on resolving disputes without trial. The conference will also provide interactive break-out sessions on a variety of communication techniques and soft skills to enhance participants’ appreciation of the options that ADR offers.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Emerging dynamics in mediation: new thinking, new practices, new relationships’. The conference program will be carried across four streams: culture, community, commerce and competence. The conference aims to present a program that is innovative, stimulating, thought-provoking and entertaining by offering networking and learning opportunities to new and experienced mediators and dispute managers.

The AMINZ (Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand) Conference is New Zealand’s only national, annual dispute resolution conference. A comprehensive programme, over 2 1/2 days, with concurrent streams and many networking opportunities means that the conference attracts dispute resolution professionals from around New Zealand and overseas as well. Keynote speakers include Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Palmer SC, Prof Ingeborg Schwenzer, Tony Willis and John Sautelle.

2012 Canadian School of Peacebuilding, Winnipeg, 18–22 and 25–29 June 2012

The fourth annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding brought together peacebuilders – local and international, young and old, students, practitioners, and those new to peacebuilding. They participated in five-day courses for personal inspiration, professional development, or academic credit. The CSOP is designed to be an environment characterised by (a) education for peace and justice, (b) learning through thinking and doing, (c) generous hospitality and radical dialogue, and (d) the modelling of invitational community. The Canadian School of Peacebuilding is for people from all faiths, countries and identity groups. Course topics included ‘great leaders of peace’, ‘peace skills practice’, ‘citizen advocacy’, ‘cultivating change, respecting difference’, ‘faith, music and reconciliation’ and ‘women and peacebuilding’.

At a time of unprecedented transformation in the Middle East this multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural conference equipped participants with effective, collaborative skills in dialogue and deliberation, compassionate interpersonal communication, assertive decision making, teamwork, leadership, negotiation, problem solving, mediation, conflict transformation, good governance, and sustainable reconciliation. An outstanding international pool of over 30 expert presenters and facilitators representing leading training institutes around the world gathered for a unique, historical opportunity to be part of an ongoing series of capacity-building conferences making a difference in the Middle East today.

As the needs of families become more diversified and our population gets older, age-related issues are steadily finding their way into a variety of fields of service. Increasingly, mediators are required to become more specialised in their training to meet this burgeoning demand. The 2012 summit shared what is happening around the world as we advance the knowledge of how mediation with age-related issues is changing the face of health care.

14th International Symposium of the World Society of Victimology, The Hague, The Netherlands, 20–24 May 2012

Justice for victims: cross-cultural perspectives on conflict, trauma and reconciliation

The World Forum, The World Society of Victimology, together with the International Victimology Institute (INTERVICT) Tilburg, Victim Support Europe and the Leuven Institute of Criminology (LINC), are pleased to invite you to participate in the 14th International Symposium of the World Society of Victimology. Victimology scholars, researchers, practitioners, teachers and students from around the world are welcome to examine and discuss current and emerging issues in the field. The symposium will be preceded by an Introduction to Victimology course (deliverd in English) on 15 and 16 May 2012.

National Annual Conference of the Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators: ‘Appropriate Dispute Resolution: The Quiet Revolution’, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 18–20 May 2012

Appropriate dispute resolution is quietly but significantly turning around the way disputes are resolved in Australia. ADR’s flexibility, time and cost-effectiveness and non-adversarial approach may not make a lot of noise, but is often the most appropriate way to resolve a dispute and create lasting solutions. The 2012 conference will promote and stimulate the exchange of ideas around the revolution that ADR is creating in the current Australian business and government environment. The conference will feature international and national speakers, panel discussions, skills-based workshops and delegate participation.

The ALMA Conference boasted an exceptional speaker program and included a series of specialist seminars hosted by local firms, including Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Dechert, Haldanes, Withers Worldwide, Minter Ellison, Clifford Chance, Hogan Lovells and Ince & Co.

2011

5th Asia-Pacific Mediation Forum (APMF) Event

Asia-Pacific Mediation Leadership Summit: ‘From Talk to Action’,

Bangkok, 2–4 December 2011

The first Asia-Pacific Mediation Leadership Summit was hosted by the Asia-Pacific Mediation Forum (APMF) in Bangkok, 2–4 December 2011, in collaboration with interested key organisations in Bangkok and in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The purpose of the summit was to bring together experienced conflict resolution and mediation practitioners, researchers, educators, trainers and policy makers from different cultural, organisational and professional backgrounds who were culturally fluent, creative and innovative, wanted to contribute (and build on) their knowledge and expertise, and were prepared to play a leadership role in transforming the way that conflicts are handled in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aims

To identify challenges, build capacity and promote collaboration, cross-cultural awareness and understanding regarding conflict resolution and mediation in the region.

To mine the collective depths of the participants’ knowledge and experience and strategise for change initiatives that can expand the field and promote peace in the region.

To produce concrete, written outcomes from focused, facilitated roundtable discussions that can be implemented by organisations, and that have real potential to impact on and transform the mediation and conflict resolution fields in culturally fluent ways.

New Zealand’s only national dispute resolution conference features a comprehensive program and many networking opportunities. It featured renowned mediator and mediation writer and trainer Robert Benjamin; Director of the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, Singapore, Michael Lee; Chief Justice of the High Court of New Zealand Hon Justice Helen Winkelmann; and the Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown. Concurrent streams featured mediation, adjudication, arbitration and expert witnessing.

3rd Annual International Conference on Religion, Conflict, and Peace: Walking The Talk to Compassion and Harmony

Dearborn, Michigan, USA, 8–10 April 2011

This inclusive, interactive three-day public forum sponsored by the Common Bond Institute promoted inter-religious and intra-religious dialogue to explore the challenges of extremism, intolerance, scapegoating and Islamophobia, and the promise of reason, understanding, compassion and cultural harmony. Over 45 presenters and facilitators explored the mutual dilemmas of religious ignorance, extremism and fear of ‘the other’, including the current example of Islamophobia and its impact on the Muslim community, and personal engagement through dialogue and practical applications in nurturing a shared consciousness of peace.

2010

The theme for Australia’s National Mediation Conference 2010 was ‘Celebrating the past – embracing the present – creating the future’. Justice Albie Sachs from South Africa led the process architecture stream. This stream drew parallels between the effects that the physical architecture of a building has on its occupants with the effect the process architecture of the mediation model, dispute system or court-annexed ADR process has on parties. An international mediation peacemaking stream was led by Alain Lempereur from the ESSEC Business School in Paris. He spoke from his practical experience working in Africa and with the European Union and United Nations. The third stream explored practice issues that look beyond mediation models and the toolbox of skills. Michael Lang from the United States drew on his 30 years of practice as a mediator and mediation trainer to explore deeper practice and ‘use of self’ issues. Other features included an indigenous mediation stream; a family law stream; a Q & A forum; and half-day pre-conference workshops on 6 September. More information can be found on the National Mediation Conference Australia website.

National alternative dispute resolution bodies, the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand and the Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia (IAMA) have agreed to hold a joint conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, 5–7 August 2010. The conference brought together the leaders in ADR from throughout the region. The conference focused on all methods of ADR including mediation, adjudication, expert determination and arbitration. Conference website

Held at Griffith University’s Southbank Campus and supported by the Attorney-General’s Department and Griffith University. The forum provides a platform for dialogue about broader trends and issues in ADR research between researchers, practitioners, service provider organisations, courts and tribunals, and policy developers from federal, state and territory governments. NADRAC website

3rd European Conference on Mediation, Paris, France, 27–28 May 2010

Organised by the European Mediation Network Initiative, a European gathering of mediators from over twenty countries. The theme is ‘Mediation and Civil Society in Europe: Toward a New Mindset’. Conference website.

The 3rd International Conference on CRE is an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and research on issues related to the development of infrastructure in CRE and justice initiatives. Presentations will focus on innovations in the fields that are making broad impacts in local, state, national, and international communities. Participants (drawn from the local, state, national and international community) will exchange best practices, evaluation methodology, creation of policy implementation structures, consideration of obstacles to success, and new and innovative use of training, resources and technology. On-site events include a meeting of community colleges developing peace and conflict studies programs in partnership with the United States Institute of Peace. Pre-conference workshops on 24–25 March. Conference website.

2009

‘Moving Mediation: From Mediation to a Customized Approach’, The Hague, Netherlands, 19 November 2009

This conference marked the 10th anniversary of court-connected mediation in the Netherlands. It was organised by the Council for the Judiciary, the Ministry of Justice and the Netherlands court-connected mediation agency. More information (PDF 192 kb).

‘kon gres was distinguished by how participants are actively engaged. Opportunities for participants to discuss, debate and explore ideas were integrated into each session. Presenters developed questions and activities to inspire discussions, then drew together themes that emerged. Conference website

Women are at the centre of conflicts and wars, both overt and silent. They bear the brunt of violence in different forms, whether in their personal lives or from armed conflicts within their communities or among nations of the world. Yet women have not been mere victims or casualties of war. They continue to work for peace and build secure communities. Women have been mostly invisible, however, in peace negotiations and policy making in many countries. It is time for women to take the lead and to declare their vision for a new world where women and humanity can enjoy peace and security. The conference was hosted by the Peace Women Partners – Asia Pacific in partnership with the Center for Peace and Human Rights Education of the Philippine Normal University. It brought women of the world together to discuss critical issues and define strategies for women’s peace and security in the Asia-Pacific.

The conference focused on dispute resolution in the current economic downturn and how ADR professionals can best meet the needs of disputants in these challenging times. Guest speakers included the Hon Robert McClelland MP, Attorney General of Australia; the Hon Rob Hulls MP, Deputy Premier of Victoria and State Attorney General; the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG retired Justice of the High Court of Australia; the Hon Sir Laurence Street KCMG QC; Michael Gill, CEO of Fairfax Business Media and Publisher of the Australian Financial Review and Business Review Weekly; Richard Ackland, award winning broadcaster, journalist and publisher of Justinian and the Gazette of Law and Journalism; Dato Noorashikin Banti Tan Sri Abdul Rahim, Director of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration; Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw, President of the Asia-Pacific Mediation Forum and Vice President of the World Mediation Forum. Brochure

The second Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum highlighted the rapid development of technology in the world of media and debated the ensuing questions related to modified usage. In light of these changes, the conference examined the future of content delivery, especially for topics pertaining to peace and security. More information.

Hosted by the Singapore Mediation Centre. Speakers from around Asia, the Pacific, US and UK shared their experience and expertise in dispute resolution. The keynote speaker was Martti Ahtisaari, 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Finland. Conference flyer

2008

Network for Dialogue and Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific

Networking conference: Beyond Blame: Dialogue and Reconciliation – Japan, Korea, China and the Asia-Pacific, 27–28 November 2008, Hawke Centre, University of South Australia, City West Campus. Presented by Flinders University (School of International and Political Studies; American Studies Dept.); University of South Australia (School of International Studies, Japanese Program); University of Adelaide (Centre for Asian Studies)

Mediation: Transforming the Landscape

9th National Mediation Conference, 10–12 September 2008, Hyatt Regency Perth Hotel, Perth, WA. Delegates from industry, the community sector and government joined eminent Australian and international mediation professionals to continue the development of mediation and related processes in Australia and beyond. The conference theme included ‘transforming the landscape’ of mediation practice, with diversity, of related professional practices, to promote peaceful resolution of conflict, and of the justice system.

Shared parental responsibility in Australian family law and the impact on children

A multidisciplinary seminar hosted by the Centre for Peace, Conflict and Mediation, Hawke Research Institute, UniSA, Adelaide, 13–15 April 2008. The seminar examined in depth the consequences for children of some of the recent changes to the Australian Family Law Act. Presenters focused on the most current theories, research, practice wisdom and parental experiences in relation to the emphasis given to shared parenting and associated decision making after separation and divorce. The main focus was on the outcomes of the changes for Australian children, including those children who have been, or are at risk of being, exposed to high-level parental conflict, violence and child abuse.